


Tigress is Born

by ViserraBlackfyre233



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Character Study, F/F, F/M, Tigress - Freeform, answering questions I've had about Tabitha, birth of tigress, birth of villain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:22:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23867473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViserraBlackfyre233/pseuds/ViserraBlackfyre233
Summary: I've got a vendettaA list of namesThis is my path and I've chosen itSay a prayer and sleep with one eye openFor she is comingLong live Tigress, Tabitha is no moreAnd now she is born
Relationships: Tabitha Galavan/Barbara Kean, Tabitha Galavan/Butch Gilzean, both in the past - Relationship
Kudos: 5





	Tigress is Born

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is my first Gotham fic and I'm really excited about posting it. Especially since Tabitha is one of my most favorite characters on the show that has so many wonderful ones. I've written this one shot because I was dissatisfied with the way her arc went down the drain in season five that I felt wasn't worthy of a character like her who had such much promise and never really had it used to full effect. Plus I was really disappointed she didn't get a chance to form into tigress and get her own costume.   
> This fic is about her transforming from Tabitha to Tigress.   
> Enjoy!

**(Tabitha Pov)**

Had it been months or years since she had last seen Gotham. She wondered if the so-called no man’s land was still waging on or if it had ended. Tabitha did not know sitting inside this special cage suited for a tiger said by that bastard Strange inside his fortress. Where she had been experimented on along with god knows how many people. All in the name of attempting to build back the power he had lost after the court of owl’s had fallen.

She knew what a sick and twisted person he was the moment he introduced himself to her. Thanks to Selina who one night while having a nightmare about the experience inside Pinewood confessed everything she saw within its wall to her when she confronted her about it.

“This leaves me curious as to what cruel thing’s he’s done to my body.” Eyes shifting downwards studying her body as if this could tell her the secret’s she wanted to know.

However, she did know as much how she ended up inside this cage. In the chaos of the city driven to the brink of madness like the dark city of Gotham had her former lover and friend Barbara had forgotten about her leaving her body at that altar inside their club. This gave Strange the opportunity to snatch her away and ever since using her for experiments to create what he called his tigress. Rolling her eyes, “Or so he says.”

Desiring to create a better version of whom she had once been, “But I don’t need strange to be Tigress, I already am her.”

Inside her cage she paced back and forth for she had little else to do but remember and ponder upon her past at least until Strange needed to use her again. Especially the choices she had made that leading her into this position she was currently in, “That I’ve brought upon myself.”

Already having moved through denial of any wrongdoing on why she ended up here. To a spiraling depression because she had nothing to distract herself with this time. Last time before Penguin got to her she did not have the time to reflect upon her choices too busy helping in the club by taking out her bloodlust upon the men who got out of a hand or drinking her sorrows away.

The words that murder had said that night still echoed through her head as well as the picture perfect vision of what occurred still flashed before her eyes, “The night where I lost it all.”

“In time when I feel you have suffered enough. I will kill you too.” And suffer she did for all those months until the final clash between them both.

In truth knowing that asshole as well as she had come to know it was the least bit surprising he could up with such a twisted plan. But in her foolish arrogance she always thought if it came to blows she would come on top being much stronger between them. Yet in the end the weak man she had once taunted and undermined had done just as he had vowed, “Breaking me.” Hand softly brushing against the scar where her heart had been before all her great tragedy befell her.

Then again maybe that was what she meant to endure. Lines from her favorite moody song she uttered, “Tragedy is sewn into your soul, darling. No matter how bright your halo glows. Or how high your wings take you. You will always, eventually fall.” These words have never felt so right as at this moment.

And in her life she had known nothing else since those damn monks took her brother away. They had been happy before they filled his head with some vendetta that happened centuries ago driving him into madness to obtain it all. To the point he not only used his own child as a seductress and threatened her with banishment to actually attempting to murder her.

“And how brutally he fall” a tear fell down her cheek thinking about the horribly ways he had died both times. In the end she still loved him with all he had to her and silver while in Gotham.

Speaking of those monks who had ruined her life. They were still out there no doubt shaping and molding some new Dumas cousin for vengeance against the Wayne’s, “Or even Silver herself.” This brought a jolt of anger towards her heart imaging them getting their claws into her niece.

Thinking with spite, “They should give it up. There is no use in righting something that happened centuries ago. It will not change what happened to us.”

Or she might just be bitter in truth, remembering how she so badly desired to go with her brother to train. But that had been quickly yanked away from her by father and the monks alike. After all she was not of pure blood instead being an illegitimate child that was lucky enough to be claimed, “I was unworthy.” That had been the day her childhood died and the birth of the person she had been for years to come.

“The very concept of my worthiness driving me to prove them all wrong” remembering how she trained day and night to be the perfect guard to stand by her brother’s side under the hands of various mentors. Until Theo returned done with his training and overtook her own when he came home to wait for the perfect time to strike.

To the most recent tragedy that had befallen her since she came to this cursed city. Causing her to moan in grief, “Oh butch” with forlornness as the outline of her greatest love appeared before her eyes nearly bringing her to tears.

“Love was never supposed to be given to me.” She mournfully uttered reminiscing on the beautiful time she shared with Butch through the years they worked together. Now it was gone never to return, “And it hurts!” Clutching tightly at her chest as if truly feeling her broken heart.

This time allowing herself the weakness she never afforded herself during her child nor was she afforded by her family to weep with abandon. For the first time, for the last time she would cry over what had been. Hands trembling as she covered her rapidly wetting face imaging them stained in the blood of Butch who paided for her foolish mistakes.

Sobbing as she said, “Brother was always right! My weakness was that always cared too much and that would be my downfall.”

Going over one last time how she had gotten her. She had been a highly skilled woman who was taught to use anything and everything around in battle to kill her target. But most of all, to be prepared for things to go wrong and always have another options when failure was coming. Yet all that training failed her when she came face to face to the one who killed her lover. She had truly been a wreck by the end drunken on whisky to nurse her sorrows, something no trained assassin did in battle.

“If brother had been there I would have tasted blood in my mouth for making such mistakes.” When Theo returned from the temple he was the one who taught young-self everything she had known as a fighter and solider for his ambition.

The biggest thing he drilled in her head was being cold, calculating, and cool under pressure when in battle with a dangerous foe. And Penguin was dangerous even if he was a pushover when it came to martial prowess. But the death of her beloved Butch had shattered her so badly she put the ideal of vengeance ahead of any logic.

Sitting down upon the grassy ground inside her cage muttering, “Perhaps the truth was I made such mistakes because I wanted Penguin to finally end this by taking him out with her.” Mentally like the bastard planned she was already a broken shell thus all he said came true.

“Vengeance can cloud one’s judgement” she had learned that lesson very well. Her hand moved upwards towards the scar upon her eye, “Never forget that.” Hoarsely whispering.

This wound had left her blind in the eye. All done by the hands of her old enemy Penguin with his sharp knife hidden in booth a similar trick to her own, “That I should have seen coming” berating herself still to this day.

Attempting to dodge the fierce swipe whose target had been to stab her in the chest. Instead its blow glanced upon her eye doing great damage in the process. The wound spattering blood everywhere as she collapsed to the ground down on one knee screaming in agony.

Her single inflamed with undying hatred yet also frightened pain as she helpless watched what was coming next. Kicked to the ground harshly by one of Penguins men her wound grew even larger and the scabbing forming into a imperfectly curved stripe.

“All because I was so angry and intent of a reckless charge of vengeance.” Her wound came out of her own careless mistakes not only during the fight, but years before.

“I started this whole mess between us when I killed that helpless old woman.” Years later, she still did not know what perceived wrong she came up with to do the deed. Or why she hated Penguin even before Theo put plans into motions.

In fact, this turned her anger towards Gotham. Before she had come to this damned city all was going alright for her. She was happy and rich from the jobs she took on the black market across many continents.

“When I first entered this city I was the cold-blooded and ruthless killer towards friends or alike in the name of helping my brother Theo or for a check. But in the bonds I shared with Barbara, Butch and Selina made a weakling.”

This was when her mind drifted towards the time she thought it had all ended for her, “My story of how I died such a pathetic creature to be written in Gotham’s criminal history.”

After months inside this cell when all finally clicked in place of how she ended up here. Filled with a hatefully longing to take her claws towards Penguin’s face to give a scar like hers, so he would never forget her, “I sure as hell have never forgotten him!” Hissing as she barred her teeth into a fierce scowl.

Appearing before her eyes out of the mist of memories of the final confrontation. Of how she crossed bowed and cutting down his men all in the name of getting towards her prize. Grabbing in a vicious chokehold digging her knife into his neck hissing how with dark glee of how death was coming for him. Awhile listening coldly as that pathetic bird attempted to weasel his way out of this affair using such pretty words to Barbara’s boy toy or herself, but she was not in the mood to hear it.

“Not this time!” She purred darkly remembering how she hissed into his ear she did not care about walking away from this fight alive. Her only desire was to end his life for Theo and Butch whose death had been the last straw holding her back from slaughtering Penguin.

That was when he uttered Butch’s name she furiously snapped forgetting her training. Spinning around hissing darkly, “Shut and die.” Placing the gun against his chest as if to emphasize the point that he had killed hers when he murdered Butch in cold blood.

In present day, she knew she had no one to blame but herself for Butch and her brother, “Even though Theo made his grave long ago with all he had done to others. It was only the one who exacted the toll that I never saw coming.” While he was the one who gave the order to merely harm her not kill her. She was one who went one step forward thinking that was not enough and that Penguin for betraying them should be filled with agony during his last few minutes.

The saddest part of it all it was her sins in the end that killed her greatest loves by Penguin’s hands, not their own. In her last moment, so blinded by rage she was and her eager need to avenge them both. That hearing the words being so convincingly spit out of the mouth of nemesis that echoed so deeply in her own heart was a shattering blow, “There blood is on your hands! You were the one who started it all!” she couldn’t come back from, “But where was the lie?”

During their stabbing struggle after she picked herself up despite her grievous injury to the face. She simply gave up realizing she didn’t want to go through this hateful vengeance anymore. In her final moment, she pleaded with Barbara not follow the cruel and ugly path of revenge and fell thinking her loyal friend who would do anything to avenge her, “But that traitor didn’t, instead forgetting about me!” Spitting out.

Early on in Gotham she learned to pick a side and stick with it. That was the sacred way built upon the desire for survival, “That’s why I followed Barbara through thick and thin” until she killed Butch because she was the first person to love without a price being attached.

But Barbara had soon betrayal of friendships and love could be a danger. Angrily growling, “But not anymore, I will never experience such hurts again…”

This left her feeling like her love had been exploited by all but Butch. Even Selina had forgotten about her so wrapped in her own pain, “And that could be forgiven.” After all Selina was like the younger a sister she never had.

And one could easily fall apart having everything taken away, “A feeling I know very well.” Reliving again how she spiraled into a drunken mess who slept with any man that reminded her just a little of Butch when she weeping furiously in her cups.

“Like Selina I was wrapped up in my pain” her hand brushed against her heart once more brushing the scar that symbolized how love had almost destroyed her.

While with Selina she had tried to do better. After being confronted by Lee a reflection of her own cruelty something she didn’t like. Yet in the end her transformation was all for nothing, she was rewarded only with loss, “My past came and destroyed everything.”

Being pushed so hard to her breaking now inside this cage that’s metal bars felt so suffocating to her as the slowly closed in on her. Screaming and shouting out numerous things with the ghosts of all the people she had wronged or loved in the past melding into one until she felt the need to collapse to her knees and madly scream.

Purring darkly with her mind, “Maybe that’s the idea I’ll go crazy and they’ll see” chuckling darkly, “How it feels to be me.”

Tabitha felt like snapping and pursuing the vengeance upon the very family and society that had molded her so well to create the sins within her and those done to others. Uttering the dark promise, “Never forgive nor forget.”

She would exact the same torment upon all those who brought her to this point, “Galavan, Dumas, Gotham, Barbara and Penguin” reciting her list, “They will pay the price of death in the name of tigress.

A final hot tear rolled down her cheek as she furiously flicked it away. It was this tear that crying song represented the person she had been for all these years, “Weak, love-filled Tabitha.”

Eyes echoing pain and undying hatred she allowed to it consume her and burn away who she been, “Revenge is a powerful thing, and I’m not afraid to lose myself to it for the light within in me is already lost” thinking coldly.

Smoothly walking towards the edge of her cage thinking, “Tabitha was gone the moment she took a knife to the heart while trying avenge her beloved’s. Now there is only tigress who on the prowl for her vengeance, it is long been overdue.”

“I will become the monster they raised to be.” Throughout this time of reflection that she had been needing to do for so long. The flames of her ire had been stoked, and she was ready for the wrath that tigress would bring.

And the first thing she would do when outside this cage was get rid of this hideous uniform. Trading it for one of her old suit’s she donned back in the day. She was sure they were laying around in some warehouse in Gotham discarded by those she thought loved her. Or even start from scratch, “I’m very good at that” smirking arrogantly.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Exclaimed a guard storming towards her age with an impatient pace, “Fool I wouldn’t do that if I were you!”

Eyeing irritability like an annoyance as he tapped what she knew to a dangerous weapon against her bars feeling her with fury. “Well?” He questioned tapping it louder.

She knew she had one chance to get out of here tonight. For with the noise this arrogant fool was making other guards would surely come running to back their brother in arms. While pondering on what to do next she spotted something that felt eerily familiar, “Yes!” Purring internally with great satisfaction.

Laying on the grassy ground was a plain bullwhip. Though wondering where it came from and how she hadn’t seen it until now. “That doesn’t matter right now, it’s here and it’s exactly what I need…”

With ever sharp skills she had built over months of being inside this cage with little else to do she grabbed the whip. Joyfully listening to the sound of cracking as she lashed it out snapping it against his face causing him to twist and smash his face against the bar now blissfully unconscious.

Quickly using her whip once more with great she triumphantly held the key to her cage, “The key to my freedom.” Unlocking it quietly and eyes shifted around warily for further surprises only moving out when there was none.

Purring darkly with her full lips formed into a smile like that of a satisfied tiger, “Long live Tigress!” Twirling her whip dangerously while prowling forward to begin her reign of terror.


End file.
